Wednesday, April 20, 2011

No one is "above the law" says UAE foreign minister

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan warned that no one “is above the law,” when asked about the recent arrests of several pro-democracy activists.

“The prosecution in the U.A.E. has sent subpoenas to a number of people,” Sheikh Abdullah said in Abu Dhabi today. ‘This is fully in procedure with laws and rules of U.A.E. We have full trust in our judiciary and I do not believe that any person is above the law.” He didn’t elaborate on the charges or say how many people have been arrested.

Sheik Abdullah, a member of the ruling family, told reporters in the capital Abu Dhabi that prosecutors issued subpoenas “to a number of persons” in the seven-state federation. He didn’t say how many.

“This procedure is fully in line with the rules and the laws of the United Arab Emirates,” he said. “We made sure that these laws and rules of the UAE are fully implemented. These are transparent rules.”...The foreign minister didn’t say how many subpoenas had been issued or disclose the charges, referring questions to state prosecutors, who themselves have yet to comment on the arrests. Officials at the UAE’s Ministry of Justice couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

Sheik Abdullah described his nation’s justice system as “trustworthy.”

“We have full trust in the judiciary in the United Arab Emirates. And I do not believe any person should be above the law,” he said.

Ironically, "no one is above the law" means the law is king -- i.e., that the government exercise its power within the scope allowed by law.